Shadowrun: One Big Maybe
by JuanCaCR35
Summary: Upon compromising his whereabouts, a decker on the run travels to an unlikely place to call home, where he is extortioned into leading a volatile team on a series of runs with a hidden purpose.
1. Track 01 - All These Things

_Hi everyone! Thanks for taking the time to check the story out. I'll be posting a chapter (or half of one) every Monday._  
 _This is my first take at an actual book, so I'd love to hear what you think. Feel free to leave your feedback on a review, be it good or bad, just be honest._  
 _After all, that's the only way to get better. Thanks, and cheers!_

* * *

 ** _Shadowrun: One Big Maybe_**

 **Track 01 -** **All These Things I've Done**

Vein was sitting atop his legs, crossed on each other. He held an old harmonica a whisper away from his lips. A set of five flat, blue hued monitors in front of him cut the darkness of the small apartment. Wiring hung from the ceiling into the monitors, then back down to a monster of a rig that served as a desk as well. The huge rig looked more like a dissected hover tank than a server. Lines of text swirled by the screens, forum threads on the Shadowlands BBS popping in and out, highlighting keywords, storing, closing, searching…

All of the furniture was improvised out of warehouse refuse. The chair he sat on was a round industrial cable rack, the kitchen was made of a couple broken-tip welders below charred ceramic plates, tool racks built out of cabinet doors... Only the monstrous rig and a couple hover drones lying next to it looked like they were worth anything. There was the harmonica too, of course: a relic from nearly forgotten times where music required actual talent, probably worth more to an antique dealer than everything in the place put together, Vein included.

He was staring eyes half shut into nothing. The silence in the room was enough to feel the low hum that coolant made while flowing through the tubing all across his rig. Vein wasn't blinking, he was nearly breathing, lost in a trance. He looked as if he was intent on catching something with his ear, as if trying to find his monster's heart beat to hang from and start telling some melancholic story with his harmonica, waiting for the perfect beat. It didn't come.

 _*BANG BANG BANG*_

 _-Open up asshole!_

Loud thumping on the door broke the silence and the monitors stopped churning out lines. Vein hissed through his nose, blinked a couple times and put away his harmonica inside his pant's left leg pocket. He stood up slowly, needing to fight through the stiffness in his joints. He wondered for how long had he been sitting like that. He grabbed a pair of old, bulky wireless headphones and placed them around his neck, turning them on. Fast paced bebop, full of bassy sounds started playing out of them.

 _*SLAM* *BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG*_

 _-I know you're in there you piece o' drek!_

-Chill man, I'm coming.

 _-You don't chill me motherfucker! Open the fraggin' door NOW!_

 _*SLAM*_

-Yeah yeah, I said I'm coming.

 _-Move it drek head!_

 _*SLAM*_

-You know what? I think it's open.

The door shook some, but didn't give. Vein walked towards the door and flicked a switch right next to it, a big angry troll's face flickered on a small holo-screen. Not a face actually, just a chin, a thick neck and a huge chest plate. He was a big one.

 _-Open the fraggin' door you freak!_

 _*BANG BANG BANG*_

-It's kinda tricky, jiggle it to the right when you push in. It gets stuck sometimes.

The handle made some jiggling noises to no avail, then the whole door angrily shook back and forth, making the holo-screen picture distort. Vein grabbed a couple wires coming from below the switch, the ending's insulation had been peeled off and the exposed metallic wires were bent in the shape of hooks, burnt to a nice dull black.

-Easy, easy man. Nice and slow, like petting a kitty.

A soft jiggle came from the door and Vein half smiled. He placed the hooks on his side of the handle and a few sparks jumped away happily, leaving little smoke trails behind. The door shook wildly and sporadically, then stopped, and a loud thump was heard on the other side. Vein flicked the switch off and unhooked the cables, then opened the door effortlessly, with one finger, to find a tree of a man on the floor, shaking like a fish out of water.

-Oh hey! There you are!

The troll's eyes were wide open, but his pupils were nowhere to be seen. His face twisted and his jaw jittered in an almost comical fashion.

-Ngaphnnn… gnnhnhn ghmn… ghhh

-Nice to meet you, Ngaphn. I'd shake your hand but I'm pretty sure that I don't like you… bitch.

Vein grabbed the hulk of a man from one of his plated combat boots and began dragging him inside. The troll had stopped convulsing and was out for a while. 10000 volts tend to do that sort of thing to a man. One of his horns got caught in the door's frame while Vein was dragging him inside. He stubbornly yanked without making any progress, so he decided to kick the thing at full force with his talon. The horn cracked and flew down the hall.

Ngaphn woke up tied to a 24 pack box of 1 liter leaded coolant bottles, inside the apartment's 1 by 1 shower. Zip tied and duct taped in place, there was little he could do, even for a troll his size. His chin laid on his chest and his eyes were still closed. His hands hurt bad, stinging where his skin cracked from the shock. He'd grabbed the door's hinge with both hands and ate the hit in full, not one volt was wasted. A 220 volt cable hung tight between his neck and a hook on the plasticrete ceiling, lucky for him, this one wasn't connected.

-Wh… wha…

Vein was sitting on an empty box of canned soup, tapping away on his cyber deck, about an inch away from the troll's feet. He grinned and raised his eyes, leaning forward onto the troll's face.

-You scared the drek out of me, I thought I'd fried you. Don't do that again ok?

Vein patted the troll's head a couple times.

-Phhh… wha… wherrr…

Vein's expression changed to one of frustration, he rubbed his nose's bridge with two fingers and sighed. He dropped his left hand to the side, which then flew to slap the troll's face hard enough to make the guy next door try and find where the smack came from, and leaving a well-defined red palm and fingers across. Vein shook his hand with a painful face while Ngaphn's senses came back to action. He raised his sight to find himself eyes locked an inch away from Vein's face. Startled, he jumped on his would-be seat and tilted to the side, but the cable around his neck kept him from falling over. His eyes went wide as he felt the tension around his neck and gagged. Vein sighed again, put his deck down, stood up and walked to Ngaphn's side, placed a foot on his shoulder and pushed, straightening him up. The troll coughed.

-What the fuck! You sick fraggin' freak!

-You kiss your mom with that mouth?

-Fuck you!

Vein's foot was still on his shoulder. He pushed and the troll started leaning again.

-Wait, wait! Don'tohfuckpleasedon't!

Vein stopped pushing and half smiled.

-See? That's better. Be nice chummer, it'll get you places.

-...

-Alright Ngaphn. Tell me who sent you and how you found me.

Vein rocked the troll a bit by pressing his foot on the troll's shoulder.

-Ok ok ok I'll tell you!

-And why do you keep calling me a freak? I know I'm not gorgeous but I'm not *that* fucked up, am I? Maybe in the head but not the outside.

-Lonestar's gotta bounty on you, it's all over the place!

-Bullshit. You can't fool a decker with made up bounties chummer, that's just plain stupid.

Vein pushed on the troll's shoulder again.

-I swear man! It's all over! Fuck, it's even on the news!

-On the news?

Vein raised his eyebrows in surprise, then started laughing when he realized what was happening. He slapped Ngaphn on the back.

-Hahaha! Aw man, I saw that news piece too! You found that pyro's address somewhere and figured you'd kick down his door and get that nu, right? Easy stuff, but you kicked on mine instead. Talk about bad luck!

-Wait, you mean… You're not that Avila freak?

-I'm afraid not, you dumb bastard. How the hell did you get that until now? They even showed his mug shot on the news, for cry's sake!

-I… I s'pose you don't look much like him.

Vein laughed again and leaned on the shower wall, shaking his head side to side. His big smile slowly faded into a frown, and he stopped laughing. Funny as it was, he'd been found. Even a dumb log like him could piece two and two together and realize he had a prize on his head too. It was time to pack up and fade out again. That sucked. He really had put some effort into the place this time, especially in the rig, and he felt some regret about letting go of it. He knew better than this, he knew he had to stay mobile, and now he'd have to waste time taking what he could and destroying the rest. Not one trace of even his shadow could be left behind.

There was also the question on what to do about the 3-times-his-size troll tied up in his shower.

-Oh man. You poor, dumb bastard. You really botched up, you know?

-Stop calling me dumb, asshole.

-I mean... Aw man. I can't let you go, but I don't want to kill you just because you have drek for brains… no offense.

-Fuck you man! I ain't stupid, you sick fuck!

-Don't push it Ngaphn, you're not helping your case.

-I'm not Ngaphn you drek! I'm…

-Don't tell me your name, idiot! Do you want to end up at an organ grinder?

The troll opened his mouth to curse some more, but a spark of genius advised him to keep quiet and play along. He felt the urge to snap his captor's little neck with his bare hands. That was nowhere near happening, unless he could get out of this part alive.

-No, I don't wanna.

-Then hush, let me think…

The troll looked at him patiently, waiting for him to say something, while Vein was patting his pant's pockets. He finally fetched a pack of cigarettes out, pulled one out of the pack with his teeth and lit up. The troll was still trying to piece the young man together. His hair was a messy, black and scruffy doe that looked like it had never met a comb. He wore a black tee with a white cartoonish bear's face with a big smile full of jagged teeth. He had expensive, fancy looking data jacks installed on his left hand's palm and right forearm. He had a pair of green, worn out construction pants and brown construction boots full of scratches. Deckers were supposed to be pasty, wormy fellas, but this guy was fit too. He had well defined muscles without looking particularly buff, and was thin for his 1.85 meters height.

Vein took his time to smoke and ponder, staring at the shower's faded tiling. He was halfway through his ciggie when he dropped it on the floor and put his boot down on it.

-Stay here mate, I'll be back in a bit. Oh, and don't move too much, or you'll die one nasty death without me here to lift you.

With that, Vein grabbed his deck and slung it on his back. He turned his old headphones on again, still hanging from his neck, and grabbed what looked like a vaccine injection gun. Ngaphn could clearly hear the music playing off the headphones, some fancy electro tango stuff. The troll made a face of disgust on Vein's choice of music. Vein opened the door with that half smile of his, winked at the troll and closed the door behind him. As expected, the troll started struggling with his binds, but he nearly tipped once and so decided to wait it out.

Not ten minutes had passed when the door opened again to the sounds of fast paced electro tango. Vein crossed it carrying a heavily tattooed, unconscious man from the foot, hitting the guys head with the door frame. He drragged him in front of Ngaphn and kicked the man flat in the stomach as he let go of his foot.

-There you go.

-Him too? You really are a sick fuck.

-And you really are a dumb one, chummer. Take a closer look.

Ngaphn started at the tattooed man again with a puzzled face, until some lucky neurons of his connected with others, and placed the man's face on the news. His eyes and mouth blew wide open.

-That's the freak! You nabbed that Duncan Avila sick-o!

-I sure did, Ngaphn. Apartment 223, not 233.

-...fuck.

-First time the whole day long that you've used that word right.

-Wait... you stealin' my bounty too, you piece o' drek?!

-And you were doing so much better… He's my gift to you, chum.

-He's for… for me?

-Yes, for you. You give trolls a bad rep, you know? People talk about them not being the brightest of the bunch and I never bought it but then, there you are.

-Fuck you man. I know… I know I'm stupid alright? Who gives a drek. Fuck you.

Vein never expected to hear a confession like that one. Now he felt even worse for poor, dumb Ngaphn. Hell, if the troll was smaller, Vein might have adopted him, taught him some tricks like fetch or play dead.

The troll had a look of utter defeat across his face. He had sworn to himself that this bounty gig was his way out of a long line of bouncer jobs in filthy joints and pubs. He had sworn he'd go back to that last hell hole and rub the bounty's pay on his former boss's fat, slimy face. That asshole had dared to call him an "oversized, retarded ape", so he flung him out a half inch thick window out of pure rage. This bounty hunt couldn't have gone worse though, and he was thinking that the fat, slimy asshole had figured him right. He was nothing but a big, dumb chunk of beef bred to keep everyone in line.

Vein honestly felt bad for the poor fella, even felt responsible for the big guy's sad mood.

-Cheer up man. I was picking on you because you came for my head, remember? Besides, you're not stupid, you're just not doing this right.

-...

-No one can win them all going solo, big guy, you need a team. It shouldn't be hard for you either, every team needs muscle and you have plenty of that. Find some wise-ass in bad need of a big friend, some mage owing money to the wrong crowd, and you got yourself a team.

-...

-Oh, and a street name too, to build your rep on and keep the heat off of you. How about... Rhino? Yes, that's a solid one. 47Rhino in the BBS.

-...why the 47?

-Makes it sound like the 47 Ronin, and implies you're as tough as all of them put in one.

-Who's that? The 47... what?

-Ronin. A most epic group of samurai in recorded history. You should look them up when you get a chance, it's a really inspiring account.

-And why Rhino?

Vein bit his tongue to hold back on a couple remarks. He let the troll have a moment to think.

-Oh, I get it, 'cause I'm big.

-No chum. Because when you charge in, you're unstoppable. This one time aside, of course, but no one has to know.

Vein grinned while the troll considered the decker's words, hard to process for a simple minded guy like him. He did understand one thing right away: his captor had showed him there was still hope, that he still had a chance to be something, to be somebody. He lifted his head and found Vein's an inch away from his again, staring at him. He didn't bat an eye this time. Vein was holding up the vaccine gun.

-Don't freak out, it's just a sedative... for hellhounds.

-What the frag!

-Hey, you took 10 thousand volts and you're still here. You'll wake up groggy, sure, but you'll wake up.

Vein lowered the gun and placed it on Rhino's log of a leg, without looking away from Rhino's eyes.

-Hey… your eyes… what's with your eyes?

-Huh! Nobody's ever noticed before. Keep working on those observation skills, Rhino. Believe me, it'll pay off.

Vein stood up and ruffled the troll's head like you would a kid. Not in a demeaning way, more like a dad would. The troll smiled big and proud, before dazing off to 47Rhino-dreams, worth making action trivids about.

Rhino woke up sitting against the shower wall, his hands wrapped in gauze and not one part of him tied up. The apartment was completely empty save for Duncan Avila, sitting right in front of him. The pyro was the one hanging from the 220v wire around his neck and all tied up, his mouth duct-taped. Avila was still out, and sporting an alarmingly bulging black eye. He had a print out of a BBS chat taped to his chest, with a handwritten note of surprisingly good calligraphy, on the bottom left corner.

 _\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
/ CLOSED THREAD: BIG MEAN SMASHER LFG -47Rhino 20:34LOCAL /_

/ Big mean smasher looking for group. I'm all the muscle you need. I just nabbed that Duncan Avila pyro solo. /  
 _-47Rhino 20:34LOCAL_

/ All the muscle = no brains. And if you're so big and mean, why are you lfg you big coward? /  
 _-Allaboutthenuyen13 at 20:39LOCAL_

/ The fragger trapped his door, got zapped with 10kv and burnt my hands. That won't happen with a team. I ain't no coward and I ain't no dumbass either. /  
 _-47Rhino 20:40LOCAL_

/ 10kv and you're still up? Bullshit, dumbass! /  
 _-Allaboutthenuyen139 20:42LOCAL_

/ We could use you chummer. How does 20% sound? /  
 _-RedTailRat8 20:43LOCAL_

/ That's robbery. We'll be give you the fair share, 25% /  
 _-Puppeteer527 20:43LOCAL_

/ Are you people for real? /  
 _-Allaboutthenuyen13 20:44LOCAL_

/ Ok we're game, 28% here, final offer. Solid nick btw Rhino /  
 _-RedTailRat8 20:45LOCAL  
\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_  
/ 31%. We're a decker, a rigger and a mage. 31 beats the hell out of paying these repair bills for my drones. /  
 _-Puppeteer527 20:45LOCAL_

/ You got yourself a hulk, Puppeteer. Gotta cash this sorry ass sick-o. See ya tomorrow at (encrypted text: the stars, 9am). You'll know me right away. /  
 _\- 47Rhino 20:46LOCAL_

/ WTF seriously?! You gotta be kidding me! 31% for the dumb beef?! /  
 _-Allaboutthenuyen139 20:48LOCAL_

/ Me stupid, me smash, me still make more nu than you. Bitch. /  
 _-47Rhino 20:49LOCAL_

/ Boy you just got OWNED lololololololol! /  
 _-The Smiling Bandit 20:51PST_

/ _END OF THREAD: BIG MEAN SMASHER LFG -47Rhino 20:52PST /  
\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

 _Welcome to the shadows, Rhino.  
Your BBS password is "1nc0rr3ct"._  
 _If you forget, you'll get a hint… get it?  
Oh and please, please burn this._

 _Atte,_  
 _V3in_Br3ak_


	2. Track 02 - Leave The Light On

_Hello everyone! Thanks for sticking around._ _Here's chapter one for you. Hope you have fun with it!_

 _This is my first take at an actual book, so I'd love to hear what you think. Feel free to leave your feedback on a review, be it good or bad, just be honest. After all, that's the only way to get better. Thanks, and cheers to you!_

* * *

 _ **Shadowrun: One Big Maybe**_

 **Track 02 - A Felicidade**

Leaving the UCAS was harder than expected, mostly because Vein really did invest a lot into that apartment of his. After all, he managed to stay under the radar for a good seven months this time, and he needed to keep busy. Sorting the stuff to carry out only a duffel bag worth of it was very time consuming, and he had to make many compromises which he was regretting now. His two hover drones fetched some good nuyen after a complete wipe, as well as some casing, a couple motherboards and some chips. The thought of selling the harmonica crossed his mind, but was viciously slapped away by the memories it carried inside.

He couldn't sell or give away any of the things he had fiddled with, not even his improvised furniture. He needed to be utterly sure that he wouldn't leave any trace behind. Almost all his personal belongings ended up in flames inside a barrel, along with some very nifty processors he himself had pieced together, modified and overclocked. The rest of his belongings went up in smoke too, or were grinded to fine dust, or both.

He had sold enough stuff to keep himself afloat for a couple months tops, and he was half way there already. There were only so many honest jobs a SINless decker could do, and the pay was miserable to say the least. The fact that deckers, and any techies for that matter, were frowned upon in the place didn't help much either. It was an even harder choice coming to the nature obsessed and nearly corp free [amazonian country]. He'd much rather have gone to Seattle, Berlin or Hong Kong, but he'd already burnt those cards. However, besides the hard time he had getting a decent flow of nu going, he'd never felt safer. He knew there was little chance to be found here, as long as he kept his head low.

That's where things get tricky. Vein knew he couldn't keep his head out of the water if he stuck to the honest work alone, leaving him with little choice but for grabbing some milk-runs off the BBS. He juggled the factors in his head while strolling down the street to his coffin nail apartment.

-Need to get the nu flowing, keep a low rep, dodge the local's hate, get a new street... Aw man!

He frowned, he really liked Vein Break, but he was having an increasingly difficult time dodging to tell his name to anyone. He kept speaking to himself while walking, while nodding to the steady pace of the bass injected, indie-techno-punk-rock coming out of the bulky old headphones around his neck.

-Vein, break, deck, runaway, stray... stray vein, break run, blood break, deck break, runaway vein, stray sucks, runaway sucks, this is vain and vein sucks, break sucks at names, vein sucks when the name is not for break, Rhino doesn't suck but vein and break suck…

The sidewalk was crowded with lively flowing streams of people. One of those rushing fellas was pushed by another, just as he passed by Vein. His cup of soycaf jumped from his hand and Vein dodged it and the spill by half an inch, without turning his sight.

-Hey you! What the hell? You made me drop my cup!

-Who, me? Nah, it was the guy with the half top hat _*points a finger down the crowd*_

-Yeah right, go to hell deckie

-Hey, chill chum, I'll buy you another if you want

-I'm already going late, asshole

-That's too bad. I bet we'd be best friends if we went for a cup together.

-Hey, do us all a favor, deckie: jack in and stay there.

-Hey I would if I could! _*grin*_

-Yeah yeah, go back to your box

The man started walking away and Vein turned to follow him.

-Oh don't leave like that! Please? We shouldn't go to bed angry.

-Jack off! Fragging deckies!

-You kiss your mom with... Oh sweet! THANK YOU!

The man had walked away, and Vein was being pushed the opposite way by the crowd. He did manage to raise a hand and waive him thanks, just as the man turned his head back one last time to give him the finger.

\- I AM…  
 _(the crowd answers back)_  
 _-Shut up!  
-Fraggin' junkie!  
-...yo' mamma!  
-Who cares?_

\- THE JACK IN THE BOX!  
 _-Shuuut uuup!  
-More like trippin' Jack!  
-Box this!  
-Whooo caaares?_

-Vein's dead, I'm going to miss you chum… Well, not really, you sucked at names.

He shrugged and put his hands in his pockets with a grin. Jack in the Box was a solid street name, and sure did fit him. With the last of his old loose ties settled, he pranced away proud and happy, eyes in the sky, clicking his tongue and nodding to the music. The clean, elegant and shiny building blocks faded a little for every corner he turned. The streams of people were turning into trickles. By the time he was close to "home", there were no more than 10 souls for the eye to catch, not one glimmer of sunlight reflected from the buildings. Sidewalk trees and ornamental benches turned into torn tire stacks and ripped mattresses. A 7th floor window proudly displayed a sickly, smog stained ficus, a brave little display of green in a sea of dull plasticrete and flickering neon signs from the occasional would-be stores.

Jack dug into his pants for keys as he passed under a neon pin-up sign. A fairly decent painting of an ork girl sitting atop a hover drone was contoured by poorly hung neon striping. Whenever he saw the "Lady Luck" sign of the quick mart, slash pub and pawn shop, he would think of an underwear model putting on lipstick while co-piloting in a rally. The place was a haven for runners, shady dealers and other good SINless folks. So far, and with great effort, he had avoided walking into the place to get acquainted, but that was about to change.

He opened the door to his apartment building and walked down the narrow corridor to the elevator. He walked right past it and went for the stairs, skipping up the steps. He opened the door to floor 17 and strolled down the corridor. He stopped dry a couple doors away from his and frowned, instinctively setting his arms half raised. He walked diagonally towards the door, quiet as a mouse, and slowly pushed the unlocked door open with one hand. He dropped his hands and shoulders, looking upwards and sighing.

-Aw man! What the frag!

The 2 by 3 apartment had been completely cleaned out, not the one puff chair where he had hidden his credsticks remained. Even the walled in excuse for a closet had its doors unscrewed and taken. He was now worth the 65 nuyen he earned earlier, and the weekly 50 nuyen rent bill was due today.

Jack turned on his feet and dragged them back to the stairs, the headset's random playlist chose an old piano bar tune, just to fit the mood. Back down at the first floor, Jack sighed again and extended his hungry credstick to the landlord, who clicked it into his PDA and took his 50 nu without as much as looking at him. Jack pushed the building's door open and dragged himself to the Lady Luck, sitting at the bar.

-What now, Jack?

-Usually, you name your poison.

The shop owner replied. Jack smiled at the centuries old phrase.

-No poison for me, fine barkeep. _(he winked an eye at him)_ I'll take a jacking port though.

-Sure. 5 nu for half an hour, and no shady biz, deckie.

-5 for half an… Throw in an insta-noodle cup in there and you have a deal.

-For 6 I will.

-Make it a mushroom one then.

-Deal! You know, you look like you're fun, for a deckie.

-Know anyone paying for a clown? _(said Jack with a big smile)_

-That bad, huh?

-Yep, just got cleaned out. Drek happens.

-You're at Ronaldo's, right? Next door?

-Yep, the fun never stops. How about you?

-Oh tons of fun for me, here in the 'velas. Everyone eats, drinks, and carries. Perfect spot for Lady Luck: never a dull moment and the nu always keeps moving.

He nodded to a ceramic figurine of the pin-up outside, in a preferred spot among the bottles in the "expensive" shelf. It had flowers in a couple beer jars to the sides, which were in bad need of fresh water.

-She sure seems happy. What's her story?

-That's about five thou.

-Must be a good one.

-The greatest one ever told, my boy!

Jack grinned, and the barkeep dug behind the counter, coming back up with the noodle cup and smacking it in front of Jack with a loud bang, without letting go. The barkeep locked eyes with him with a deadly look.

-Let's see that credstick, deckie.

Jack flicked it onto the bar and the ork caught it mid-air. He clipped it to his PDA and smiled again at the cheerful beep from the pad. A second beep from it showing an unread message with an encrypted title.

-Gotta check this out, business. The jack's at the corner, take the stool with you.

-Thank ya sheriff! _(Jack smiled big and tipped an imaginary hat)_

The ork had already turned and tucked away into his office, right behind the bar. Jack grabbed the stool and dragged it all the way to the walled-in data jack, making screeching noises that had everyone drop a couple curses at him. He sat on it, then flipped the deck from his back onto his lap, and took a small pause before jacking in. A holo-screen turned on as soon as he connected his deck to the wall jack, displaying a command entry prompt and a 30 minute countdown in a corner, already ticking away. Jack closed his eyes and lowered his head, then mumbled something to himself.

He ran his fingers through the deck fast and gracefully, and created his new credentials for the Shadowlands BBS. J4ck_In_Th3_B0x was officially and irrevocably born, the BBS never allowing anything to be modified or deleted. He couldn't help but feel excited, electrified. He searched and browsed the forums high and low, like he'd done so many times before, looking for decking jobs with low pay and low risk. After a good 20 minutes, he had found none. The few out there had been taken in a finger snap, and they were all high risk gigs.

-Looks like Jack is staying inside the box. Pft... No... I can't go back empty handed...

Jack mischievously raised an eyebrow and ran through his deck even faster, jumping back and forth between data nods, looking for a target. A humble B level corp hub by the name of "Sirius Cybernetics" caught his eye, and he dove deep in. The world washed away, replaced by the great million neon blue shades that was the Matrix. Jack's persona took a long, deep breath, basking in a smell that didn't exist. His persona was just a simple version of himself, not having the time to spice it up, but he didn't mind; he was going for a quick smash n' grab and he wasn't planning to trigger a single tracer. Even if he did, it had become a habit of his to wipe all activity before leaving a hub. He was safe here, he was home.

A white tracer was pulsing it's way down the bridge he had jumped through. Jack waved his fingers cowboy style, leaned forward into a pronounced angle that laws of physics would curse to the nine hells, and darted away. As the white tracer spanned left, he turned his ankle and launched forward, sliding past the tracer which immediately turned right, finding nothing but a few spinning binary bits. Any decent tracer would have calculated the source and destination of the force that made them spin to hunt it down, but these weren't decent tracers. It beeped, blinked, and pulsed on down its pre-programmed patrol path.

Jack ran into quite a few of those, and dodged them without effort until reaching a blocker IC, which he worked through in less than a second. Bounty in sight, Jack browsed the corp's main terminal and grabbed email listings, project data, shipping manifests and anything worth half a nu. A couple finger snaps after, all data transactions had been wiped from the logs too. He mirrored his steps back and jumped out of the hub, back into the meat world. As always, his mind took a little to adjust, he felt like he'd just ran through a wall of maple syrup. Jack blinked a couple times and checked the timer on the holo-screen.

He blinked rapidly, adjusting to the smell of cheap cigars and the mushroom insta-noodle soup next to him. He grabbed the cup with one hand and took a zip full of noodles, while his left hand ticked away the keys on his deck. He opened the paydata bid hub in the BBS, and set his recent grabs up for sale. It was just a matter of waiting now: "Highest bidder wins. All bids close at 24hrs. All transactions are final." He grinned at the beauty of the BBS, as he read the notice for probably the hundredth time.

Regret, paranoia and a little curiosity drove him to run a quick check on Rhino's posts. The big guy had been building a decent name for himself. More importantly, he hadn't been dumb enough to mention anything about his live training day at Vein's. Still, he couldn't forgive himself for leaving behind that print out, nor understand why he'd done it in the first place. He was about to jack out when a post popped up that he couldn't resist checking:

 _\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
/ OPEN THREAD: LF DECKER, QUICK HACK RUN -00Shine99 16:12LOCAL /_

 _/_ Need deckie for a couple quick hacks. Separate team will null all threats ahead of arrival. Walk in, hack utility and lock, walk out 1k richer. /  
 _-00Shine99 16:12LOCAL_  
 _\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
/ _I'm game. Send me the specs. /  
 _-J4ck_In_Th3_B0x 16:12LOCAL_

 _/_ Can't share details online, meet only /  
 _-00Shine99 16:13LOCAL_

 _/_ Where and when? /  
 _-J4ck_In_Th3_B0x 16:13LOCAL_

/ (encrypted text:The LL in north favela, sec21 asap) /  
 _-00Shine99 16:13LOCAL_

 _/_ Throw an insta-noodle cup in there and you have a deal. /  
 _-J4ck_In_Th3_B0x 16:13LOCAL_

 _/_ Deal, I'll even make it a mushroom one /  
 _-00Shine99 16:14LOCAL_  
 _\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

Jack clicked his tongue a few times while he jacked out, but sat still on his stool. He chewed on the string of coincidences that brought him up to take the so called milk run, while finishing up the noodles. He didn't have all the dots connected, but just enough to know that dear Shine was responsible for most of them, if not all. Rigging up events like that just to get him to take a job was too much effort just for a lock hack; no chance in hell this was an easy run. He should've walked away and collected the paydata earnings later, but he couldn't make himself leave, not without finding out what Shine knew first. As always, he couldn't afford to leave any trace behind.

He stood up and walked casually to the bar, the stool in one hand. He placed the stool where he'd taken it from and stepped on it to jump over the counter. he looked under it for a little, and grabbed another insta-noodle cup, flipping the switch for it to cook, then knocked on the office door.

-Is that you, Jackie boy?

-Hello! ( _Jack opened the door ajar and squeezed his head in, smiling)_

The office looked like it was stolen from an old PI cartoon: The bulky desk, jar with pens, clipboard, computer, even the fan with paper strips was there. Three chairs were in front of the desk, but only the one in the middle was empty. He had seen the other two runners before, hanging around the pool table, always bickering about something.

A big, strong elf in his mid 30s was sprawled over the chair to the left. He was covered in celtic tattoos and had long, deep black, messy hair, held back in a pony tail by a strip of leather. He turned to face Jack and nodded at him with a smile. Despite the elf's rough look, Jack felt a certain charm, friendly and relaxed. On the chair to the right was a tom-boyish ork, sitting in perfect posture with her arms crossed. Her coffee skin tone and curly hair gave away that she was a local, but her face was expressionless, much unlike the rest of the place. Her elegant, pro hitman look was in contrast to a big scar running across half her neck. She scanned Jack with her eyes, half-turning her head, and decided he wasn't worth the spit to greet. Jack just raised his eyebrows and kept on smiling. He walked in and shut the door behind him.

-Heya chums.

The elf offered a fist bump, which Jack happily complied with. He then took a low bow towards the ork, which she didn't even turn to see.

-Hello milady.

-...

Jack let himself fall on the middle chair , following the beat of the bass guitar solo from his headset.

-And hello to you again, my fine barkeep. - _he raised the noodle cup, toasting._

-Call me Mr Luck, Jackie boy.

-Call me Jack, Mr Lucky boy. - _said Jack while mimicking Mr Luck._

-*Sigh* I like you Jack, but don't push it. We have a run to discuss.

-Ok, let's get serious then. _-Jack waved a hand across his face, wiping his smile; the elf snickered and the ork frowned._

-This is Jack Box, our decker.

-You missed "in the". _-Mr Luck ignored the comment_

-...These two are your ahead team. That's Mother, damn good shaman, don't get in his bad side though. Jack, Mom, Mom, Jack. _-Mr Luck pointed at the elf and Jack with his head, and they shook hands firmly._

-Good to have ya Jack.

-Right back atcha.

-And that's Claymore. She's our... weapons specialist.

-A pleasure. _-Jack bowed making circles with his hand._

-Really? We're hiring clowns now? _-She cocked her head, eyes on Mr Luck._

-The kid's got serious skills, and you don't have to *like* him, this is business.

-I *am* talking business. This run already is sketchy enough for you to throw a wild card in it.

-Stop, Claymore. Now's not the time, too many ears.

-Yeah, yeah. Need to know only. _-Mom waved a hand at him and looked away_.

-They both know their part so I'll skip that, Jack. All you need to know is that they'll clean you a path. _-Mr Luck was visibly putting an effort not to start a shouting contest with Claymore._

-Fair enough, big L. So, where are we going and what am I toying?

-The harbor, pier 31. Be there at 3am and not one second late. We're intercepting a container drop: Truck comes in, you hack the crane to delay the pick, then get the container's maglock. Mom gets the cargo, you lock it back up and set the crane to load it. Container gets loaded, nobody's the wiser. Scram back here and you're done. Questions?

-Yeah, a bunch. Mom's a big guy and all, but how is he going to haul a container's worth of cargo?

-Sorry kid, need to know only, and he already knows.

-Right... Never mind the other q's then. Oh, except for one: Can I have my stuff back?

-...What?

-You know, my stuff. I miss my rig. Where did you stash it? _-Said Jack. Mr Luck crossed his hands and raised an eyebrow, leaning into the desk._

-...How'd you figure *I* have it?

-You can't con a con, big L. _-Jack made a gun with his fingers and pretended to shoot Mr Luck, winking._

-...Mom? _-Said Mr Luck, nodding at him._

-Jack in the Box, sure fits ya lad.

-I know! Right?!

-He he. The stuff's a couple doors down o' yours, I'll help ya haul it.

-Sweet, thanks! Mr Luck?

-Go ahead, we're done here. 3 am sharp, Jack. You don't wanna botch this one up.

-Null sweat, big L. You two have fun barking now. Oh crap, I meant... yes barking. At each other.

That was the first time Claymore turned to face him, and it wasn't pretty. She was shooting flames out of his eyes at him. Jack made a face in between scared and apologetic, then slowly raised his hands in a surrendering fashion. He stood up and walked towards the door. Mom joined him, put an arm around his shoulder and ruffled his hair with the other as Jack closed the office door behind them; the yelling started just a couple seconds after.


	3. Track 03 - Push the Tempo

_Hello everyone!_

 _Thanks for checking back, and my apologies... This week I'm very, very late on the story and I'm posting only half of this chapter. I'm leading a Lean/SixSigma project at work, then there's my 3yr old daughter, my wife, my family... You know the drill._

 _I'm about half way done with this chapter though, which got a lot longer than I expected. You'll finally see some action here too, hope you enjoy it!_

 _I'll try and post the rest of it during the week. Thanks for the patience!_

* * *

 **Shadowrun: One Big Maybe**

 **Track 03 - Push the Tempo**

Jack made his way to the harbor to the beats of slow-trance, walking through narrow alleys to avoid the crowd in the main streets. He reached the harbor's fence and flicked his headset to off, things were noisy enough already. He jumped over the fence and sneaked by security, timing his advance through crates and containers. He made it to pier 31 and tucked behind the huge auto-loader crane's perched base. He made it earlier than he expected, neither Mom, Claymore or the truck were there yet. He had already scanned the place in his head, mapped the guard's routes and planned escape routes. With nothing else to do but wait, Jack was getting itchy.

The auto-loader crane was non-stop picking, lifting, hauling and flawlessly placing each container in their pre-programmed spot inside the cargo boat's bay. Jack still had a good 15 minutes of waiting, so he jacked to the crane's controls to do some head work. The controls and programming were easy enough to figure out, no need to protect a crane from hacks after all. He checked the container drop schedules, but found none arriving around 3am. He checked the container loading list, but his prize wasn't there either. He checked the boat's cargo bay manifest and found nothing. Jack scanned the mapping for the container's spots and found a whole column programmed to be placed atop an empty space, smack in the middle of the bay. Jack grinned and reviewed all listings looking for empty slots instead. He finally found a 2 minute gap in between two lifts in the crane's load list, at 3:02 am.

-There you are! Let's shuffle you a bit... no free slots until... three o' seven. Oh my! You naughty crane! _-Jack shrugged and made a fake surprise face, his hands holding his cheeks._

It was 13 minutes to 3 and Jack had already done half his work, so he took another minute to lock the list from being changed, only allowing items to be added. A couple minutes after, a new item blinked into the empty spot. The item had no description at all, besides the pick up location and size. It was being picked straight from the pier's drive way, and the container's size was half the length than normal. Jack raised an eyebrow, while chewing on the unknowns and oddities of the run.

A couple minutes to 3, Jack heard the faint sound of a small truck coming his way, it was showtime. At the same time, a couple shadows stepped from behind a container, walking straight to the drive way. Both figures wore dock worker overalls, but neither the boxy elf nor the slick ork wore them to the part. The pair suddenly stopped and looked at each other as the truck got closer.

-Cee, that's no truck, its the stars.

-Play it cool, we stick to the plan.

-And the plan's for a Lonestar transport?

-We stick to the plan, Mom.

-Hey, I'll play along. Just saying... Ya owe me a paint after this one. _-Mom shook his head and ran his fingers through his head._

-I've got this, you just do your thing.

-Better a pitcher... Nah, a fraggin' all-nighter's tab.

The Lonestar prisoner transport came to a halt at the drive way's end while Mom and Claymore walked towards it. The transport's break lights were steady on, and it didn't turn its engine off. She raised a hand with a clipboard on it and pointed it with her other hand, nodding towards the transport's tainted windows.

-Hey, what's going on? You're not supposed to be here. _-She waved her hands at the windows until she reached the passenger door._

-HELLOOO! I'm talking to you! I said you're not supposed to be here. Care to fill me in? Should I call the real Lonestar now? _-She knocked on the window._

-You're smack at the boss' spot! He'll have my head if you don't move, assholes!

The passenger door opened hard and fast, knocking Claymore back a couple steps. A Lonestar trooper stepped out, sporting heavy armor head to toes, and a laser sighted assault rifle. The trooper's voice cut through a mic on his helmet.

-Do I look fake to you chum? _-He trained his sight on Claymore's chest._

-I... I just need you... this form... _-Claymore raised her hands in the air. A second trooper stepped from the driver's side and locked sights on Mom with an SMG._

-Fuck your forms. Walk away before I put a window on your chest.

-Please, officer, I need you to sign this, I'll lose my job if...

-I TOLD YOU TO WALK THE FRAG AWAY!

The trooper started walking towards Claymore and turned his rifle around. Claymore was frozen in her place and Mom was shifting eyes between her and the 2nd trooper, who was now walking his way too. The troopers were a step away from them now.

-Sarge? -The 2nd trooper had his SMG practically sitting on Mom's chest.

-Shut up Mendez! And you, dumb piece of drek, you should've walked away.

The sergeant raised his rifle and winged the stock down on Claymore's face at full force, only to have it dodged. He felt Claymore's blade go through the nick between his chest plate and helm, then through his throat. He fell on his side, trying to cover the wound with his hands, failing miserably. The last thing he saw was Mendez's neck being snapped by Mom so hard that his helmet spun clean off of his head.

-Told you. Stick to the plan. _-Claymore kneeled and dug her combat knife out of the sergeant's neck, then cleaned the blade on her overall before sheathing it._

-Yeah yeah... Hey, is that Jack? _-Jack was running towards the transport from his right, at full speed._

-Three! _-Jack shouted_

-Wha?

Mom turned around just as Jack vaulted himself on top of the transport while the passenger's door opened slowly, and a trooper started stepping out, holding a big, long barreled heavy auto-cannon. Mom's face turned red and distorted in anger, the cannon pointing straight his way. Claymore ripped open her overall to draw the Ares Predator from its chest holster, knowing she was already too late. Jack, however, was already falling atop the trooper. He crossed his legs around the trooper's head and swung himself on a back flip, the cannon's weight eased the job and the trooper started falling forward. Jack spun himself violently, landing both hands on the floor and swinging his legs back on a spin. The trooper's helmet flicked off as he was vaulted over Jack, to land atop his head on the concrete drive way, with a dry knock. The rest of his body followed like a rag doll.

-There are always three. _-Jack slowly stood up and moved the trooper's head with one foot to check for signs of life._

-... _-Mom didn't say a word, only nodded at him as he loosened up again._

-We have to scram. Now. _-Jack had a serious face, for the first time since he arrived to Rio._

-We're not bailing, get to work. _-Claymore still had her hand on the heavy pistol._

-That's an Ares Alpha, that's an HK227 and that is a Panther XXL... _-Jack pointed at the trooper's guns._

-I said we are NOT bailing. Get the fragging lock. _-Claymore frowned, eyes locked on Jack._

-Stars don't carry this kind of firepower, we're in over our heads. An alarm must have went off, we'll be swimming in...

-So hurry up and get the lock. _-Claymore drew her gun and locked it on Jack's head._

-Hey hey hey! Chill Cee! _-Mom took a step towards her, holding an open palm out._

-I'll chill when the run's done.

-Null sweat, your call. _-Jack shrugged and walked towards the back of the transport._

Jack flicked his deck from his back and jury-rigged it to the maglock on the transport's back doors, his fingers running through the deck's keys. Mom stood right behind him, and Claymore to his side, scanning the area with her pistol at the ready.

-Yep. Big gun star triggered a silent alarm. I'll make it look like this doors never opened and I botched the hack. Should keep some heat off of us later.

-Shut up and open the damn thing. _-Her face looked like she was about to shoot lightnings from her eyes._

-Back off him Cee. He's just looking after us.

A clank from the transport doors cut the conversation short. Mom pulled the heavy doors open and jumped inside, to find the transport empty but for two things: a cooler that had been carelessly thrown inside, spilling rations and water bottles on the floor, and an unconscious, beat up woman. Mom paused for a moment, then picked up the woman and slung her over his shoulder while stepping back out of the transport.

-What are you doing Mom? _-Cee was confused by the cargo_

-What? Ya think they want the cooler instead?

-I'll take it! _-Jack jumped in and grabbed a couple ration packs._

-Shut up! Lock that back up and scram. Both of you.

-Yeah, not a good idea there Cee. Remember the alarm? We should stick together. _-Said Jack while opening a ration pack._

-I told you to shut up. And don't you ever call me Cee again. _-She turned her gun's sight back at Jack._

-Lad has a point, ya know? Stars coming 'er way and locking the place up; we may hafta fight 'er way out.

-We stick to the plan.

-The hells with the plan Cee! Just take a look around, will ya? Does it look like the bloody plan at all?

The faint sound of Lonestar sirens made Mom and Cee turn their heads to their way out. Mom's eyes started searching all over. She went back and forth though the plan in her head, trying to find a non-existing course action for the mess they were into. She ran her fingers through her head to get a couple stary hairs back in place. That was the Claymore Mom knew, always cool and efficient even in a tight spot.

-Claymore. _-Jack spoke to her in a soft voice._

-Hush, I've got this.

-Cee!

-What?! _-She faced Jack with a face of controlled anger._

-The plan's fragged. Let me do the thinking ok? I can get us out easy. Done it ten times before. _-Jack slowly reached for her shoulder and placed his hand on it._

-Not happening. *I* call the shots here.

-Yes, you do. You're the boss. If you give me the order, I'll get us out. _-Jack nodded to her, waiting for approval._

-...

-Just say the word, boss. _-Jack waved for Mom to close the transport doors._

-...Do it.

-I'll make you proud, boss. _-Jack smiled softly and pat her shoulder once, Cee pushed his arm away._

 _-_ You'd better be right, or I'll shoot your head off myself, before any star gets to you.

-I'm game. Get behind me and stay close. Is she going to be trouble? _-Jack nodded at the unconscious woman on Mom's shoulder._

-Nah. She's out cold and light as a feather.

The transport made a loud clank noise, releasing the locks of the cargo hold, just as the crane came down on it. Jack hastily locked it back up, then started sneaking and scurrying in between containers, trucks and crates, Mom and Cee close behind him. He often signaled the team to stop, kneel, then move ahead. Although she would never show or tell, Claymore was amazed at how Jack was leading them. He knew exactly were security was going to be and which way they were looking, he sure had done this before. They slipped though every star, guard and camera, right at the perfect moment. It was the perfect execution of an improvisation. Mom was amazed too, both by Jack's skill and by Cee actually giving in to him. He did show it, nodding and raising eyebrows at Cee, whenever he could meet her eyes. The four reached the part of the fence were Jack had jumped in, without so much as a hiccup, but Jack signaled them to stop instead.

-Ok... This I didn't think of, the fence is hot. The stars must have hooked a power generator to it. We can't jump here. - _Jack clicked his tongue a couple times._

-Leave that to me, I don't like jumping anyway. _-Cee wanted to ask how he could possibly tell it was, but they had their hands full as it was._

She stepped forward and rolled her left sleeve up, revealing a flawlessly maintained and expensive looking cyber arm. She grabbed the fence and started cutting the wiring with her combat knife. Jack wondered why she didn't fry the second she touched the fence, but there was no room to ask, she was all about the run right now. She finished cutting and pulled soft and steady on the fence, holding it open for the rest to walk through.

-How gracious of you, milady.

Jack took a bow and waved his arm in circles, just like he did back at the Lady Luck. Cee didn't turn to face him, but he still caught half a grin on her face. Jack signaled the pair to follow him, and the team ran into the shadows of the narrow alleys and tall buildings of the harbor's neighborhood. Lonestar sirens could be heard racing down the streets, but they were slowly fading away with every corner they turned. Jack flipped his headset back on when things were getting quieter and a catchy harmonica echoed faintly through the narrow corridors. Jack slowed down to a walk, then came to a stop and leaned against a wall while putting his hands inside his pockets. They had been running for a good half hour now, not a word being said in the way.

-We'll be home soon. You might want to drop the overalls.

-Well tha' was fun. _-Mom slowly put the woman down and stretched his back._

-Sure explains my "easy" one thou.

 _-_ Can't wait to hear what Mr Luck has to say.

-"Sorry kid, need to know only, and she already knows". _-Said Jack, mimicking Mr Luck._

Cee sprung up and grabbed Jack by his shirt, making a fist, and leaned in until her face was an inch away from his. Still, she showed as blank an expression as ever. Jack raised his eyebrows and retracted his head into his chest, his chin almost toughing it.

-I did not know. He did not know. Keep making fun of it and I'll rip that silly smile right off.

-C'mon Cee, he's just fooling around.

-Yes. That's just it, always fooling around. Everything is a game, isn't it Jack? _-She cocked her head, never taking her eyes off of Jack's._

-He saved our asses back there Cee, he can make a bad joke.

-So it's all fine and dandy now? He gets to make a fool of us?

-He doesn't. And he's sorry, aren't ya lad?

-Yep, very. Cross my heart and hope to die.

-...hopeless.

Cee slowly let go of him, wiping her hand on her overalls after. Jack sighed while trying to smooth out the wrinkles in his shirt, which he really liked. Mom took a few steps to stand between Jack and Cee, just to stay on the safe side, then started taking took off his disguise. Cee was almost out of them too, looking as classy as back in the office, not one hair out of place. She dug out her PDA out of an inside pocket in her jacket and put an earpiece on.

-UNFINISHED CHAPTER-


End file.
